According to a recent survey by In-Stat/MDR,

• “Seventy-three percent of respondents said service quality/reliability was the most important criteria in selecting an Internet service provider.
  
• “Sixty-nine percent selected price.
  
• “Twenty-one percent of respondents selected company reputation, knowledgeable customer service staff, and availability at multiple locations/national footprint.”
  

It seems that performance and reliability have moved ahead of price in picking ISPs, and availability, reach, and topology are also significant criteria. Apparently Scott Bradner has been right all these years he’s been saying that ISPs need to have a business model beyond price competition.

Given this situation, it would also seem that an ISP with a risk management plan would have a competitive edge.

-jsq